Cowgirl Ed
by MercedesVee
Summary: Edward and Ein's exploits after leaving the Bebop, which ultimately lead them to the planet Gunsmoke.
1. Introduction

"...Edward's certain that we'll find him... Even if we have to travel and search the entire planet... I'm sure of it!"

The small girl and her canine companion had scoured the entire surface of the earth in search of the man known as Mr. Appledelhi. Armed with her handy computer referred to as the Tomato and her determination, Edward was keen on finding her biological father. Edward had lost track of how long she & Ein had been trekking the various landscapes and locations, and her tattered and torn appearance seemed to further support the vast amount of time spent away from the Bebop. Her feet had become rough and callous-infested, and she often amused herself by comparing this development to the Bushmen who dwelled in the Kalahari Desert. Her skin was now a dark copper color and her clothes had become discolored and torn. Her ribs began to protrude through her weather-beaten skin, and she found that she could go three days without eating and survive dehydration by digging up roots or sucking the moisture off of small pebbles, rocks, and leaves. Edward had become skilled in the art of hitch hiking and pick-pocketing, and she had survived and gotten to her current location through these practices.

Edward and Ein found themselves in the aboriginal regions of the Tanami Desert in Australia with no sign nor sighting of the father-person. She spotted an indigenous tribe who offered her their hospitality through a skin of water and a didgeridoo lesson. Edward stayed the night at their camp and thanked them in the morning. She continued on her way with the reverberating noises of the exotic instrument in her mind. The indigenous families and children had brought her temporary happiness and reminded her of the virtues of gratitude and true joy. This visit also gave her a chance to verbally communicate with other earthlings; the hard travel conditions and dehydration spells had caused Edward to remain continuously silent. For three days she walked through the Australian landscape.

The sultry and dry weather began to weaken her spirits and enthusiasm as well as her energy. Edward had begun to grow weary of her efforts and soon began to lose trust in her father. She reached down towards her skin of water, only to find that the contents were empty. Ein whimpered weakly and Edward slowly sat down on the sand and gazed at the horizon... She spotted a mirage, mockingly beckoning her to come, yet strangely beautiful to her... Edward waited to continue travel until nighttime, but as she gathered herself and attempted to stand up, she collapsed, and remained at the same spot throughout the night. Dehydration had gotten the better of her this time, but unbeknownst her, Edward had rescuers watching over her...


	2. Ch 1- Space Plunge

"...You think it's dead?"

"...Nah, it couldn't be... It's tongue isn't black and I can feel a pulse..."

"Well what do you suggest we do? We can't leave without at least fifteen of 'em or else we get pay cuts..."

The two watchers continued to stand over Edward in confusion, analyzing and meditating on what to do with the famished girl. Ein cowered near a cactus plant and remained silent as he observed the two leering over his owner. One of the watchers proceeded to poke Edward's body with a stick.

"...I'm kind of having troubling figuring out EXACTLY what it is..."

"...you mean the gender?"

"...I mean, it shouldn't matter either way, but I'm guessing it's a girl."

"I dunno about this, Dale, she seems pretty torn up... I guess we can tart her up a little when we get to Mars and see what Alabaster wants next, and like you said, it shouldn't matter if it's a boy or girl. If it turns out its a boy, we can always roll with that as well... Just as long as we get 15 on board today."

"Should I load her up then?"

"Go for it."

Dale reached for Ed's limp body and carried her to a nearby space cargo ship. The other watcher, Liza, spotted Ed's computer, Tomato, and began to tamper with it.

"Dale?"

"Yeah?"

"D'you think we could pawn this at Ray's?"

"Yeah, he'd probably take it in for some parts, though it looks pretty dated... Bring it here and help me strap her in..."

The man threw Edward inside as Liza walked towards the ship with the computer balanced on her hip. Ein quietly inched closer and closer to the ship each time the two recruiters turned away. They strapped a chain-like restraint onto Edward's right ankle as Ein snuck into the ship from the open driver's door and quietly made his way to the back end. Ein cowered by a wooden box in order to remain hidden. Dale quickly slammed the door shut as Liza started the ignition. The cargo ship began to slowly lift and wobble off of the ground as Edward awakened in utter darkness and confusion. She felt around for Ein and touched his snout as the dog gave out a sharp whimper. Edward silenced the dog, but what followed Ein's cry surprised the girl even more. Other whispers broke the silence; voices similar to her own age.

"...They let a puppy on board?"

"I want to see!"

"Maybe if we keep it really quiet and hide it, they won't get mad at us or make us give it up..."

"I think they got another kid on board..."

"Why is she on the ground & not in here with the rest of us?"

Edward focused hard on her surroundings through the flashes of light given off by the passing stars. What she could make out in the brief lighting consisted of the grim faces of other children and she noticed that they were all caged. Edward slowly attempted to stand, but she felt the restraining tug of the chain on her right ankle. Sickness and fear settled into the pit of her stomach. The turbulent takeoff knocked her down a few times, but she proceeded to suspend herself off of the ground. She picked up Ein and faced the curious eyes in the darkness.

"Hello? Who else is in here besides Edward?"

"Who's Edward?"

"Edward is herself... Who are you?"

"Is that your dog?"

"Mhmmm..."

"What's his name?"

"Jet-person named him Ein... And I still call him that."

"Oh... Like Einstein."

"Mhmm... Why are you all locked up?"

"I don't know..."

"I got lost on Venus two days ago... Dale said he'd help me find my mom... I guess not..." muttered an older girl on the upper row of cages.

" I guess we've all been tricked by them."

"Has anything bad happened to you yet?" asked Edward.

"Dale can be pretty ugly to us sometimes. He doesn't feed us and Liza tells us that we smell bad. We've been in these cages for the past two days and I have no clue as to where we are headed next."

"How many are on the ship?"

"15... Including you."

"Oh."

"Is your name Edward?"

"Yes... What's your name?"

"My name's Nema."

"Nema from Venus... Well I hope you find your mom... Edward's looking for her dad as well..."

"Some parents, huh? And what's the matter with your speech? Do you have an impediment?"

"I guess so... Ed's getting better at it though... Maybe Nema can teach me about talking right."

Nema chuckled. "Well you're halfway there... We just gotta work on your first person p.o.v. I'm sorry if I came off as rude..I didn't mean to... It just came out of pure curiosity. I actually kind of like the way you talk." Edward smiled at Nema and laid back down on the floor of the ship. "Night night Nema..." Edward whispered and waved to the girl up high in the cage. She tried to stay quiet in order not to wake up the other children.

Edward attempted to fall asleep, but she could not help but sense something malicious and foreboding about her future destination.


	3. Chapter 2- The Mars Labyrinth

Edward was awakened by a violent and turbulent jolt of the ship as it proceeded to land. She and Ein were tossed back & forth across the floor as the chain tugged painfully on Ed's ankle. The other children experienced the same violent awakening and cowered in the corners of their cages as they were flung back & forth. Edward could see them more clearly with the rays of sunlight coming through the slits of the doors and saw that there were 14 girls and one boy. They shouted and cried each time the ship swayed and flung them about in their cages. Edward spotted Nema & waved at her energetically.

"Hi hi Nema! Cock-a-doodle!"

Nema was too preoccupied with holding on to the cage bars to reply. She waved quickly and was flung to the back of the cage.

"Hey! There's a dog in here!" Screamed a child around the age of 12.

"Can we play with it when we get out?"

Edward paused for a moment as her eyes went wide... She forgot to keep Ein hidden.

"No! Edward has to hide Ein from Dale so he won't hurt you!" Edward quickly shoved Ein into a wooden box and ordered him to stay put.

"Who's Edward?"

"Oh she just speaks in a unique way... Her name is Edward." Stated Nema from the top row of cages.

"Hey neat! Is Ein your dog's name-"

The child's inquiry was interrupted by a low rumbling and a flash of bright daylight as the cargo ship's door opened. Edward turned around and was blinded by the rays of the sun. She put a hand over her eyes and slowly sat down.

"Hey you, get back up. Rest time's over. Alright kids, I want full cooperation from ya today, so don't try anything stupid and you won't get punished." Dale walked toward the right side of the ship's door and put back the prod that helped open the door. He summoned over some workers and gave them directions on handling the cages. Edward watched as the men climbed into the ship and began passing and handing off the cages of children onto a moving walkway. There must have been around 30 handlers lifting and passing the cages. Edward soon saw the weary and saddened faces of the children as they passed before her eyes. She could not imagine staying in one of those cages for two days straight after being snatched up. She noticed Liza walk over & forcefully grab her arm and unlock her chain.

"Jesus, you're bony..." Liza muttered in disgust. She spotted a moving wooden box & uncovered Ein from the surface.

"Oh, a little stowaway, huh? Looks like we got two things to pawn now. You and the computer are going straight to Ray's once this drop-off's finished..."

"Ein!" Edward exclaimed from the side of the ship. Before she could prevent any action, Liza grabbed Ein and threw him in a bag. She turned to a stunned Edward & grabbed her arm.

"Hey Dale! Do I put her in one of the cages?"

"I guess so..." He yelled back wearily. Liza proceeded to yank Edward's arm & shove her in a cage with the only boy in the group. She frowned at the boy; they were both crammed & remained cheek-to-cheek as the handlers violently swung the two children onto the walkway. The cage landed with a thud upside-down and the children noticed they were going into a dark tunnel. Edward looked back through the bars at her dog struggling in the black bag and stared in disbelief. The boy struggled against Edward, but he stopped as soon as the daylight left and they plunged into total blackness. After about three minutes of travel, the children began to see a faint yellow and red glow coming from the horizon. They saw lanterns and heard poppy disco music echo through the tunnels. Soon Edward saw more handlers, this time female, throwing the cages off of the walkway and opening them up. They were all scattered around on different sides and soon Edward and the boy felt their cage being yanked off the walkway. They came down with a thud as the door swung open and Ed & the boy came flying out. They were grabbed by a rough-looking woman who chattered orders at them in Dutch. The children gave each other puzzled looks before they were led down a seedy hallway and were separated at a turn. Edward was flung into a room with the rest of the girls, only they had been stripped. Edward was soon stripped of her clothing as well, and before she could react she felt the fluid force of a giant fire-hose pelt into her back. The girls screamed at the impact of the watery burst as Edward fell face-down on the damp floor. The children were sprayed for about a minute until the aquatic assault finally ended. When Edward looked up, dripping all over, she felt a towel hit her in the face. She was picked up by the same Dutch-speaking woman and led down yet another hallway. Edward covered up her vulnerable state with her towel as best as she could and she spotted Nema being led down the opposite hall. She turned around, only to get a slap and a stream of Dutch insults from the woman leading her. Edward continued to be led by the woman obediently until they came to a small door after a few turns. The woman opened the door and pushed Edward inside as she threw a set of clothes at Edward. She exited the room & locked the door behind her. Edward examined the room slowly as she put on the new set of clothes. The clothing was skimpy and very revealing, and the articles only consisted of a pair of white shorts, a floral-print bare-midriff top, and a pair of red pumps. She quickly studied her appearance in the mirror on the door; Edward looked and felt like a nightmare from the 70s. She sat down on a cot and waited. For what seemed like hours passed until she heard movement outside of her door. This time, a long-haired blonde girl unlocked the door and entered the room. She stared at a Edward for a while, examining her appearance.

"Alright, come with me down the hall... It's time for me to do your makeup," The girl stated as she exasperatedly ran her extremely long and crimson nails through her equally long hair. The girl could not have been more than 15 years old, and Edward noticed that the girl had bruises and marks all over her body.

"Well don't waste time staring at me... Put your shoes on & let's get going."

Edward gingerly put on the hideous pumps and struggled to navigate across the floor in those atrocities. She resembled an infant giraffe in its first attempt to walk with her gangly legs shaking and the spasms of her feet growing more and more frequent. The blonde girl chuckled at Edward and assisted her in walking.

"You have to get used to walking in those puppies... Otherwise you'll never get a score.."

"What like a basketball goal?"

The blonde girl shyly smiled and laughed at Edward's remark.

"Ah you kill me..."

The girl and Edward entered another room filled with mirrors and makeup equipment everywhere. The girl sat Edward down and began to put articles of makeup on her. Edward's eyes kept watering and twitching as the girl applied mascara. She then put puffs of pink and rosy powder on Edward's face and smeared eyeshadow the color of pool-chalk blue over her eyelids.

The girl then took out a lipstick container and handed it to Edward.

"I'm going to let you apply this since you know the outline of your lips better than I do..."

Edward grabbed and twisted the container and out unfolded a color of the brightest pink. Edward's eyes went wide with excitement.

"CANDY!" Edward squealed as she bit down on the lipstick head and proceeded to chew. The blonde girl chuckled even more at Edward's enthusiasm. "Thank you thank you for giving Edward candy..." As Edward continued to chew, she realized the bitter taste of the lipstick, and she quickly spit out the contents on the floor.

The blonde girl patted Edward on the back and reached for a paper towel and poured Edward a glass of water.

"Here drink up & wash that crap out of your mouth. I've always preferred gloss myself." She wiped Edward's mouth and brushed out her hair. The two girls were interrupted by the opening of the door. A man walked in and motioned for Edward to follow him.

"It's time..."

"Okay, Ed...ward? You have to go with Steve right now to meet Alabaster... If you ever need your makeup or hair done or if you just wanna talk, ask for Dizzy, okay? Good luck & I'll see you soon."

"Bye bye Dizzy!" Edward yelled at the girl as the man took her hand and led her down the hallway. As they walked, Edward noticed many boys and girls going in and out of rooms. As a group passed them by in the hall, she noticed a girl was crying. The man began explaining what to expect to Edward:

"Alright, so you're working for Alabaster now, so you do what she says, understand? Now I'm gonna lead you down to a line-up where Alabaster is gonna give you a name. Once you have that name, you use ONLY that name and never refer to yourself with your original name, so it's best to forget that now. We like to protect the identity of our walkers, so we ask for your cooperation."

The man unlocked a cell-like chamber which contained a row of boys and girls dressed in the same fashion as Edward. Steve put her at the end of the line where Edward spotted Nema twelve feet away. Edward shouted at Nema & waved to her. She noticed at the end of the line stood another tall woman who resembled Dizzy. She seemed to be separating the children with an alabaster cane. The woman was assigning names to the children and was parting them with her cane to either the left or right hall.

"Alright, Minnie, left... Valerie, right..." The woman then spotted the only boy in the group & studied him for a while before smirking:

"Twink...You're going left..." She cooly remarked at him. "What did you just call me?!" The boy snarled back. Her cane cracked him in the ribs as she snapped, "Lemme just remind you that you work for Alabaster... You're MY property now, and insolence or outbursts like that will not go unpunished. Understand?" She paused for a moment. "I change my mind... You go forward. I want to show you how unruly behavior is handled here..." Steve grabbed the boy and led him forward through a chained chamber. Twink's face grew pale and grim. Alabaster then came to Nema:

"Ruby, you go right...".

"Dee, left..."

"Shea, right..."

"Crystal, left..."

"Faye, right..."

"Tammy, left..."

"Lori, right..."

Edward felt the tip of the alabaster cane poke her on the hip. The woman stared at Edward in the same manner as she did with Twink.

"Pippi... You go left...". Edward stared at the woman blankly and continued to stand in front of her.

"Are you Alabaster?"

The woman slowly chuckled at Edward and smiled at her.

"Child, I go by many names, but I guess you could say I use that one in particular as my primary one."

"Why?"

"You know, some things in life are always going to go unanswered... Now run along Pippi... Go to the left and I'll bring you something to eat... You look starved and in need of some nourishment..."

The woman's tone gave Edward chills as she proceeded to walk down the right hallway. Another attendant grabbed Edward's hand and led her to a small room with a pink door. The attendant locked her in pushed a plate of three bao buns through a small dog door at the bottom. Edward started at the plate and grabbed all three dumplings and wolfed down the first one. Edward looked up and noticed the ceiling tiles and noticed a leak coming through one. Not wanting to be greedy, Edward thought that she should share some with Nema, so she climbed onto the cot in her room and tapped on the tile slowly. The soggy tile slowly sloughed off and splattered onto the floor as a Edward grimaced at the sludgy material on the floor. She grabbed the buns and stuffed what she could into her shirt, kicked off her pumps, and climbed into the ceiling like a small monkey. As she continued to crawl through the dark, she could see the children through the vents and hear their voices coming from different rooms, but she also heard other voices, adult voices, telling them about prices and possible payment methods.

"For what?" Thought Edward. She continued to listen for Nema's voice. Her knees and palms began to develop rawness from her frequent crawling and she felt drowsy from the weight of the bao bun in her stomach. As she came to a turn she heard Nema's voice from below. She peered through the vents and saw Nema crouching on the cot.

"Hey Nematode!"

Nema looked up at Ed through the vents and gave her a surprised look.

"Hey, How'd you get to this side?! I thought you were sent to the left..."

"Edward got bored and wanted to give you something good..."

"Something good?"

Edward kicked open the vent and jumped down on the cot next to Nema. She handed Nema a bun and watched Nema's hungry eyes explode with excitement.

"How'd you get food?! This smells so good & it's still warm..." She took a bite and chewed slowly, savoring the taste. "This is so good...I haven't eaten in days... Thanks, Edward..." Edward smiled at her and sniffed at something sulfuric in the air.

"Why does it smell funny in here?"

"I think they sell illicit fireworks next door... They have such a large stockpile that the smell leaks through. I guess the sales plummeted so they have to store them here..." Edward nodded and noticed that Nema had tears in her eyes.

"What's the matter, Nema?"

Nema stared at the wall for a moment as she finished off the bun.

"Ah it's nothing Ed. It's just nice to have someone be so kind during a time like this...you're a really sweet kid & I hope they haven't done anything bad to you yet..."

"What do you mean?"

"You...you mean you haven't been sold off yet?"

"No Ed just waited in a room a long time & then they brought me here..."

Nema paused for a long period of time.

"So you don't really know what goes on in here, do you?"

"I can't say that I do... Have they done something bad to Nema?"

The tears began to flow from Nema's eyes as Edward hugged her close and let her sob into her chest. Nema's catharsis was soon interrupted by the turn of the door's knob. In stepped a shifty-looking man with a mullet, acid-wash jeans, and a stained wifebeater tank. The girls turned and faced the man. They smelled bourbon and menthols on his breath as he closed the door behind himself and faced them. He gave them a sneering look and lit up a cigarette.

"Hmm... Alright. Two for the price of one. You're Ruby, right?"

Nema stared at the floor and nodded.

"Wow aren't you a little vixen..." The man stated as he sheepishly shook her hand.

"Don't cry, sweetheart... Rodney's gonna make you & your friend feel better. By the way, what's your friend's name?" The man gave Edward a leering look that made the bao in her stomach lurch.

"C'mon spit it out. ANSWER ME. What's your name?! Don't you girls ever show respect by answering people?! For hookers you're awfully moody..."

Edward stared at the man in disbelief.

"HOOKERS?! EEEWWWWY!" Edward exclaimed as she backed away from the man.

"Well what'd you think you were working for, a burger joint? Now come over here & give Rodney some sugar... I've paid for it & I want my money's worth." The man grabbed Nema and restrained her with his grip. Nema struggled against him as Rodney slapped her across the face.

"I'VE PAID FOR MY SERVICES AND I WANT DELIVERY NOW-" as he uttered the last word, the man felt the force of a steaming bun hit him across the face, knocking the cigarette out of his mouth. He turned toward Edward and faced the angry girl who had thrown the object at him.

"Why you little-you're gonna pay for that!" The man swung at Edward and she evaded by rolling underneath him, causing him to lose his balance and collapse. Edward climbed onto the man's back as he got up & began to bite his ears like a feral animal. The man tried to knock Edward off of him, but his efforts failed. This struggle continued until Nema screamed and all saw a small fire from the cigarette blaze on the floor.

"Edward, we gotta move..."

Before Edward could react, she hear a loud pop and a flash of light filled the room. Rodney rant out as the girls sat there, stunned from the recent occurrence.

"Firepops!" Edward exclaimed as she got up and started laughing. She grabbed Nema's hand and they ran out of the small room as they heard the rest of the fireworks building up and going off next door. Roman candles zinged through the air and cherry bombs blasted as black cats popped away. Other girls and boys were abandoning their stations as they heard the loud cracks and ran down the hallways with Ed and Nema. As the children neared the end of the maze-like hallway, a loud and blinding blast knocked all of the children face down. As they looked up from the ground, they saw a hole exposing the sky and beautiful and colorful fireworks embellishing the night sky. They had been kept underground the entire time.

"Hey everyone! Go! Climb up the hole and go outside! Run run! Run away from the hole in the ground! Go!" Edward exclaimed as she ran down the hallways as Nema ran after her.

"Edward! Don't go down there it's dangerous & the fireworks are too powerful!" Edward!"

"Don't worry, Nematode. Edward has to get the other kids out so they can be free too..." Edward ran and began placing explosives by the cells which, when enacted, would explode and break open the chamber. The kids ran out panting and screaming and ran toward the large opening in the ceiling. Hordes of children were climbing out and scattering throughout the above city. Once Edward and Nema were sure everyone had been evacuated, they ran towards the opening and began to climb out. As they did so, a giant blast emitted from the hole, with green, red, and gold sparkles filling the sky with deafening zings and pops. Edward cackled joyously and found a lit sparkler. She ran over to Nema with her arms out like an airplane.

"Nema Nema! Let's go. Let's go find Ein & Ed's computer!" The girl laughed joyously. Nema looked stunned.

"You know where they are?"

"Mhmm... Liza said something about sending them to Ray's. We have to get them back before it's too late! Do you know where Ray's is?"

"I guess we could figure it out..."

With that, Edward grabbed Nema's hand and they ran past the various lanterns, lights, and sceneries of the unknown city on Mars. They ran for what seemed like hours until they spotted a flashing neon advertisement sign that read, (in the possessive-case), a single name:

"Ray's".

***Soundtrack for enhanced reading: **"I Feel Love"** by Donna Summer. (Listen to during the plunge into the underground tunnel)  /g0tenPCmHFk


	4. Chapter 3- A Sought-After Teepee

The two girls stood and stared at the neon glowing facility that read "Ray's".

"Yay we found it!" Screamed Ed as she flung open the door and ran inside. Nema followed Edward sheepishly as she opened the door as a small bell sounded and she closed it behind her. The facility had lanterns and numerous and colorful objects displayed on shelves, ready to pawn. There were fireworks, sodas, candy, and souvenirs in one corner. Nema also saw a box of firearms and ammo stored underneath a shelf. She checked to see if anyone was watching her and proceeded to climb underneath the counter, crawl toward the box, and load a colossal gold revolver with black bullets she found rolling around at the bottom of the box. She tucked the gun in her belt and crawled back underneath the counter. She overheard Ed speaking to the pawn dealer and navigated toward her voice. She noticed Ed's tone was rather brash and Nema sped up to see what was causing Ed despair.

"Why won't you tell me where he is?"

"Listen kid, it's not my job or responsibility to tell you that stuff," remarked a young man with long and grungy hair and bangs covering his eyes. Nema winced and grimaced at the contempt dripping from his voice. Edward wailed and threw her head down on the glass counter. Nema walked over and placed her hand on Edward's shoulder.

"What's wrong, Ed? Could you not find Ein?"

"Ein's been sold... And he won't tell me who bought him or where he is..."

The boy looked up from one of his girly-mags and stared at Nema. She became very uncomfortable and glanced at the boy's name tag that read "Lance".

"Excuse me, Lance, is this true?"

The boy brushed away his bangs and stared even more at Nema.

"Uh-umm yeah I guess it is... To be honest, I couldn't really remember who exactly traded in the dog but- "

"I might be mistaken, but I couldn't help but notice that you keep a book of receipts over in the corner there?"

"Yeah-"

"May I take a gander?"

Lance walked over and grabbed the book and handed it to Nema. She pawed through the pages and Lance pointed to the receipt that contained the name of the person who bought the corgi. Nema pulled out the yellow tab of paper and read it aloud:

"Ah here we go...Purchase of one caged Pembroke Welsh Corgi with a cost of $12,000 woolongs and a rare Algonquin coin by a mister Laughing Bull at 9:35 p.m. Now that wasn't so difficult, was it Lance?"

"n-no..."

"Oh and one more thing.." Nema pulled the revolver out and stuck it in Lance's nose. Lance broke a sweat and put his hands over his head.

"Hand over that computer on the top row, goggles and all, and give me few details on where to find this mister Laughing Bull... This gun is fully loaded, and I'm not afraid to line your skull with bullet-holes, especially after the way you treated my friend with poor service and contempt... So let's make this nice and easy & hand over that computer..."

Lance slowly made his way over to the shelf and fetched the computer. He attempted to press the police-calling button, but Nema stopped him by firing shots into the security cameras.

"Nuh uh uh... Now I didn't ask you to do that... You're making this so much harder than it has to be... Now bring it over here..." Lance nervously placed the computer on the counter as Edward grabbed it & hugged it close.

"Now, what can you tell me about this Laughing Bull?"

"I don't know that much about the guy except that he's an old Native American dude that comes in here from time to time and he always barters with rare coins!" Exclaimed Lance in a frantic tone. Nema cocked the gun at the boy.

"Not good enough... I need more detailed information... You know where the guy lives? "

"Mars! Mars! He lives here on Mars! He lives around 20 miles away from here in the deserts! He lives at 4485 Venison Trail, p.o. Box 410 in a teepee... You won't miss him! Can I please be set free now?!" Lance pleaded with Nema. She looked up and saw a couple of Ramune sodas for sale. She smiled at Lance and moved the gun even closer.

"Throw in a couple of those sodas there and we'll be out of your hair..." Lance grabbed the sodas and handed them to Nema. Nema motioned with the gun for Edward to follow her and they dashed out of the store.

"Man that guy was a tool... Did you hear the way he spoke to you?" Nema popped open her soda & took a sip.

Edward smirked at Nema.

"Nematode got rough in there... And Lancelot liked what he saw..."

"Oh stop! He was too busy ogling those bimbos in that girly magazine...Sickos like that are the ones who keep places like Alabaster's in business... I wouldn't be surprised if he made a visit while we were still there." Nema took another sip and wiped her mouth.

"Which is why we accidentally blew up the place... No more fire hose baths for Ed!" Nema giggled.

"Oh good grief that was horrible... I've never felt so dehumanized in my entire life. Oh! We gotta get going! We have to catch the midnight bus and travel to..." Nema pulled out the receipt: "4485 Venison Trail, p.o. Box 410"...

The girls got up and walked to the bus station. The place was deserted except for a young man and his grandmother. The two travelers gave the girls contemptuous looks since they were dressed as streetwalkers, but Nema and Edward paid no heed to their sour nature. Soon the bus arrived; the boy and his grandma loaded the bus as Edward and Nema snuck onto the back chamber and crouched so the conductor wouldn't see them stowing away.

"Now our place is 5 miles away after the very last stop on this route. Lance said Laughing Bull lived in a teepee, so be on the lookout for one."

The bus drove for about an hour until their stop came. The girls drowsily unloaded the bus and began their five-mile walk in search of a teepee. They continued to walk for about 30 minutes until Edward smelled the ash of fading embers in a fire. She and Nema followed the scent and climbed a small cliff until they came to the source: an abandoned fire pit.

"Well, I guess we shouldn't get our hopes up too much.." Sighed Nema as Edward sunk into the ground and closed her eyes. She breathed in the ashy scent until she felt her hand being licked by something. She looked at her hand and smiled brightly.

"EIN!" Edward exclaimed as she hugged the dog. "Ein, you're here! I thought they hurt you & that I would never see you again!" Nema walked over and grinned at the reunion.

"Oh good...we came to the right place... I was so afraid we lost him." She looked at the surroundings and spotted the teepee. "Well, it seems as if we've found everything we need, there's not much use in staying here... Whaddya say we split?"

Nema glanced down at Edward. She and Ein had fallen fast asleep by the fire pit. Nema smiled slightly and laid down next to the fading fire as well.

"I'm just glad we got out okay..." She thought as she lulled off to sleep.

The next morning the girls awoke to the sound of deep spiritual wailing and singing. They looked at the sunrise as the singing continued, and they began to slowly ease into a relaxed meditation. Ein yapped suddenly, snapping Edward out of her trance, with Nema soon following. She and Nema began navigating toward the source of the sound and spotted the person making the music. He was a stout Native American man clothed in embellished traditional garments with a fur garment draped over his shoulders. He had two braids hanging down his shoulders and sand slowly running through the fingers on his right hand. The man continued his soulful song for another five minutes, until Nema sneezed suddenly, blowing her and Edward's cover and snapping the man out of his trance. Ein ran over to his left hand and the man proceeded to pet the dog. He cut his eyes toward the direction from which he heard the sneeze.

"Watchers of the dawn may come share in this revelation if they wish... They do not have to witness in hiding..."

Edward and Nema heard his words and and slowly gathered around the fire and sat across from him. Both girls watched the grains of sand fall through his fingers as he continued his reverent song. Once the last grain hit the earth the man slowly opened his eyes. Ein trotted over to Edward and sat down in her lap. The man watched this action as a slight smile stretched across his lips.

"This creature knows you, I take it... Were you the ones who pawned him?"

Edward's eyes widened. "Oh no, sir. He was taken away from me & pawned... I almost thought I had lost him forever...Oh by the way, I'm Edward and this is my friend Nema." Nema sheepishly waved at Laughing Bull.

"I am known as Laughing Bull... You wanderers are welcome to stay for a while if you wish." The man paused for a moment as he watched Edward and Ein. "I see that this creature is very close to departed and parallel souls always seem to find each other in the end."

Edward looked upon the man with gratitude.

"Is there anything Edward can do to thank you for saving Ein? I don't have any money to reimburse the expenses at the pawn shop, but I'm open to helping you around here. I'm just so grateful that you found him and took him with you. I just feel like I owe you something in return." The man smiled at Edward and closed his eyes.

"The plan sounds fair to me. I am in need of some company around here for it becomes lonely at times. Your friend may stay here as well if she wishes."

"Sure, I could do that for a few days... I gotta get in touch with my sister and my mom real quick so they know where I am... Maybe Edward and I could pick you up some things in town if you need us to... We gotta get some changes of clothes and get near a telephone..." Nema gingerly looked at her and Edward's dirty and ragged appearances.

"Which town will you be traveling to?" Asked Laughing Bull.

"I think we came from Tharsis... I'm not sure... I don't exactly want to go back, but I also don't know where the next terraformed city is... If Tharsis is our only option, then we gotta be willing to take the risk... we just have to lay low... You ready, Edward?"

Edward nodded and stood.

"Mr. Bull, do you need anything from Tharsis?"

The man slowly nodded "no" and smiled at the girls. Edward waved at him and caught up to Nema. They continued walking to Tharsis for another hour or so. When they arrived they took the liberty of visiting the local Salvation Army and picked out some casual and less revealing clothing. Edward found a loose t-shirt and more biker shorts, her exact style, while Nema settled with a black wife-beater and some hiking boots.

"Aren't you gonna pick out some shoes, Edward?"

"Ed has difficulties walking in shoes..." Edward giggled and exposed her rough feet in Nema's face. Nema laughed and grabbed her foot & dragged her to the bathrooms.

They washed the dirt off their faces and drank some of the sink water. When they departed the facility, each girl was handed a sandwich and a small first-aid kit. The girls thanked the facility workers and went out into the city to find a telephone. As they ventured the city, Edward found a dime on the ground and gave it to Nema for her phone call. They finally found an old pay phone by a Cambodian restaurant and Nema dialed the number up quickly. The phone rang a few times until a woman's voice answered. Nema's face lit up as she heard the voice.

"MILLY! Hey, what are you doing at mom's house? I know you are, but I'm fine now and I just wanted to tell you guys that I'm still alive... I'm in Tharsis right now but we're staying with a guy named Laughing Bull who lives about an hour from here...Just a friend of mine... Yes, she's a girl... Milly, he's fine... He's not dangerous...He is not! Don't worry...Uh-huh... Well, lemme talk to mom real quick and I'll explain more when I get home..."

Edward watched the shoppers and people walk by as Nema continued her phone conversation. She looked over toward a newsstand and saw a chilling headline on the Tharsis Daily that read "Mysterious Explosion Blows cover of Child Prostitution Ring". She walked over to the news stand and cautiously picked up the paper, deliberately avoiding the sight of the news stand worker from catching her. Chills ran down her spine as she recognized the photo of the blackened chasm caused by the fireworks explosion and noticed children climbing and struggling to run from the opening...Some had burns and we're covered in soot. A solemn air came over Edward. Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued to read about the catastrophic occurrence.

"I wonder where they all went..." She muttered to herself as she put the paper down. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at Nema's smiling face.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did something happen while I was on the phone?"

Edward handed Nema the paper and let her read the headline. Nema's face sunk as she surveyed the gruesome picture. She cupped her hand to her mouth as she saw the burned and sooty children crawling out of the chasm.

"Oh I'm so sorry, Edward... This is really bad news."

"It's my fault that they all were burnt and hurt..."

"Edward, it is not! It was that doofus with a cigarette that caused it! All you did was help them escape that underground hell-chamber..." Nema paused for a moment. "If you hadn't been there, those kids would still be in there...being used."

"But the explosion hurt them...Some could have died...Why did I make it out unscathed, but they had to suffer? "

"I know, Ed, but sometimes we can't prevent things like this from happening."

"I have to help those kids... I have to find ways to get them out safely so it won't take another disaster or explosion to get them out...I owe it to them..."

"I love that idea, Ed... I'll help you."'

"Thanks Nematode..."

Edward snapped out of her tragic trance, looked up, and wiped off her tears. She and Nema spotted a bus and quickly loaded it as it took off. Edward glanced at Nema after a period of silence and decided to break the solemn mood.

"Who did you call?"

"Oh that was my mom and my cousin Milly... They're coming to get me in 3 days. They're dying to meet you... Apparently Milly was coming into Venus to visit me & my mom before I was taken away... I haven't seen her in ages. Lucky for me, I'm still alive & get to see her again..."

"Your family sounds nice..."

"What about your family, Ed?"

"Well, Edward's thinking of staying with Laughing Bull for a little while..."

"I don't wanna pry or be nosy, but don't you have any relatives nearby?"

"I don't know. I guess I could continue looking for the father-person, but Ed's not so sure anymore..."

"Ah that's tough... You're always welcome to come with me on Venus. You can even permanently stay with us if you want..."

"Thank you... Ed'll take you up on that offer one day, but I think Mr. Laughing Bull needs Ed's company for a bit. I'll stay in touch and write you letters, and maybe I can visit sometime..."

"Hey, whatever you think is best. After all, I think you're pretty chill & I still want to keep in touch with you. The Bull-man probably needs a cheerful person like you to break the silence... You'll make a great companion for him." Edward smiled as they continued to travel back to the teepee. They arrived to their destination an hour later and Laughing Bull welcomed them by teaching them to make corn tortillas from scratch. Edward gave her sandwich from the Salvation Army to Laughing Bull, and he ate it gratefully. Throughout the afternoon and evening the girls grounded corn and masa and prepared the tortillas with gusto. They helped prepare a fire and cooked them over it while Laughing Bull sang the evening songs of praise to The Great Spirit.

Three days came and passed, and the time came for Nema to leave. The girls noticed a spaceship fly in from the clouds. Nema's face lit up as she recognized her tall cousin step out of the ship. Milly and Nema ran toward each other with outstretched arms and flowing tears and greeted each other with a long embrace.

"We were so worried about you... We thought you died in the explosion!"

"I missed you all as well. If it hadn't been for Edward, we would all still be in there."

Nema introduced Edward to Milly, who warmly hugged Edward as well.

"Thank you so much for helping my cousin... I don't know how I can ever repay you..."

"Don't sweat it! Ed just wants a visit sometime..."

"Definitely. Anytime you want me to pick you up, you just call this number and I'll come straight down for you." Milly handed Edward a piece of paper with a phone number on it. Edward thanked Milly and faced Nema. As Nema boarded the ship, she faced Edward and gave her a warm hug.

"I'm really gonna miss you, Ed. Please be safe, and thanks for everything..."

"I'll miss you too, Nematode..."

Nema climbed into the ship and closed the door. As the ship took off, she waved to Edward through the window. Edward waved back enthusiastically and exclaimed:

"Bye Nematode! I'll see you in the future!"

***Soundtrack for enhanced reading: Laughing Bull's prayer:  
/OE_6FNmqY_Y


	5. Chapter 4- Cactus Dreams

Edward glanced at her new home on top of the cliff and saw smoke rising into the air from the fire pit. She walked back and climbed the cliff sluggishly as she heard Ein barking for her. As she finished climbing and neared toward the teepee, she noticed a heap of cacti piled near the teepee. She looked at it, puzzled, and turned toward Laughing Bull.

"Hey, Mr. Bull, what are those cactuses for?"

"They are for a ritual to pay homage to the Great Spirit which you and I will partake in later tonight. Be sure not to eat anything today, for you will need a clean stomach in order to fully experience the depth of it all."

"Whatever you say! Edward can last without food for a while... Do you need Ed to clean or do anything for you?"

Laughing Bull asked for Edward to help clear out some of the debris surrounding the teepee. Ed and Ein spent three hours picking up and throwing away old junk within a 20 foot radius of their surrounding. She soon became exhausted and was in need of sustenance to keep her energy levels going. As she picked up an old Windows computer, she spotted a half-eaten hotdog and an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk. Edward eyed the articles of food hungrily and slowly made her way over to the hotdog with the can in her hand. She wiped off the dirt on the bun and took off the paper sleeve covering it. She salivated as she bit off a piece and gave some to Ein, who ate the morsel gratefully, and savored the rest herself. After finishing the hotdog, Edward slammed the can of milk on the ground and squealed as she saw some of it spurt out of the can. She picked it up and began drinking what she could of it and finished it off. She threw the empty can into the trash heap and continued on with her work. Edward worked for another hour and began to head back to the teepee, for it was getting dark outside. When she arrived, she helped Laughing Bull build a fire and they both sat down once they finished. As they meditated, Edward noticed Laughing Bull preparing a soup from some mysterious ground up powder. She watched this go on for about 15 minutes as Laughing Bull sang the evening prayer and blessing. He handed Edward a small bowl of the concoction and stared at her.

"Here is a gateway to communication with the Great Spirit. May your eyes be opened and your journey enlightening. Drink."

Edward took the bowl, slowly sipped the piping hot mixture, and almost gagged at the foul and earthy taste of it. She concealed her disgust to the best of her ability and continued to drink and listen to the prayer. She finished off the mixture and placed the bowl on the ground. Laughing Bull ended the ceremony with a prayer and dismissed Edward. Edward prepared her sleeping place by the fire pit and laid down. She laid there for about 30 minutes until she felt a strange buzzing sensation all over her body and ringing in her ears. She sat up and looked around for Ein, only to hear his distorted bark reverberate in the darkness. It sounded like feral wolves outside, and she became nervous when she saw glowing eyes flash in the distance.

"Edward shouldn't have eaten that soup..." she thought to herself as the eyes developed into glowing blue and green bulbs. They lowered to the earth, which began to turn into a mushy goop that began to swallow Edward like quicksand. Anytime Edward moved her eyes, rainbows and bright colors followed. Her breathing became shortened and she began to pant nervously. She felt her locks of hair wriggle and writhe around her face like snakes and she quickly grabbed her head and buried her face in her knees. She began to cold sweat. Suddenly the goopy earth disappeared as she felt herself levitating off of the earth and into the sky. As she pulled herself out of the fetal-position, she saw the cosmos and gravitated toward the phenomena. The glittering space gases wrapped around her like a gown and adorned her with celestial jewels and accessories. Shooting stars and comets spun her around and she grabbed onto one and rode along. She let go of it and continued to float. As she traveled through space, she noticed she was growing nearer and nearer to the sun. Before she knew it, the rays were striking and burning her like small whips as she yelped in pain. She saw a wormhole and leapt into it. She gained a hectic falling sensation where disgruntled and disturbing celestial beings cried out at Edward as she continued to fall to earth. When she hit the ground, her stomach lurched and up came her meal of the hotdog, milk, and soup. Through Edward's distorted perception, the vomit came out like a waterfall and seemed to flood the entire landscape. Once it stopped, she wiped off her mouth and collapsed to the ground. Ein came and licked her hand as Edward laughed frenziedly and shook all over. She attempted to crawl back to the teepee, but she became too exhausted and passed out.

The next morning Edward woke up inside of the teepee, covered in a serape embellished with tribal eagles and fringe at the bottom. She felt light-headed and heated from her recent experience, and she saw the curtain of the teepee open as harsh sunlight flooded in and blinded her. She winced and whined in pain as a cold pack was placed on her forehead. Laughing Bull closed the opening and sat near Edward.

"Apologies for the harsh awakening..."

Edward could barely open her eyes.

"The sun hurts..." She mumbled as Laughing Bull got out a skin of water and pressed it to Edward's lips. She drank for a bit and thanked him.

"I did not take into consideration that you may not have worshipped with peyote before... For that, I apologize as well..."

"Peyote?"

The man chuckled at Edward and let Ein in through the opening. Edward's sensitivity to the sun had not yet diminished, and she gave out a tiny moan as the sunlight came in. Ein positioned himself near Edward's head and laid down beside her.

"You were gone for about 14 hours until I found you a mile away from here about an hour ago... It seems as if you developed a nasty sunburn there..."

"Oh no.." Edward moaned. The man smiled again.

"I will let the Sunchild rest and regain her strength. "

"Sunchild? Is that my nickname?"

The man smiled again and removed the cold pack.

"From now on, weekly worships sessions are optional for Sunchild. Now rest up."

The man exited the teepee and began his evening worship.

***Soundtrack for enhanced reading: Edward's peyote trip into space-**"So Far Away**" by Lazerhawk  /6g0D2NUE73w


	6. Chapter 5- A Passage

Five years passed as Edward and Ein continued to assist Laughing Bull in all of his activities. Edward learned valuable skills from the aged man which included deciphering certain healing herbs and concocting medicinal mixtures with them, making corn tortillas, and learning how to safely kill and prepare a snake for food. Laughing Bull enjoyed Edward's company immensely as she did his. He seemed and felt more joyful with Edward and Ein, and inner peace began to settle into his soul more and more each day. Edward had grown into a tall and graceful-looking young lady, her hair still remained in the same short fashion as it had before. She had become more tan and muscular from all of the physical labor she had performed for Laughing Bull and he had given her two small tattoos, one on her left wrist, the other on her right, of a small sun and a crescent moon. Edward adored these markings and would often draw them in the sand with a twig.

She had made a continuous effort to write to Nema, and she would visit every other month to catch up with Edward. Nema and Milly had moved to the planet Gunsmoke due to Milly acquiring a job position at the Bernardelli Insurance Society. Nema had finished school in a town called Little Arcadia and had taken a job position of doing the paper route. Edward had acquired extra income for Laughing Bull by selling tortillas in town. Lance from Ray's even bought a few and made peace with Edward. He continually asked about Nema and Edward was more than happy to provide news and tell Nema about this.

As Edward returned home from town one evening, she found Laughing Bull sitting in front of a dying fire; he was awfully still. She called out his name and sat down beside him, but received no response. As she touched his hand, her face went pale as the cold touch of his skin initiated the realization of Laughing Bull's situation; he had passed away in his sleep. Edward paused for a moment as she surveyed the man. He seemed so peaceful and serene, but Edward could not help but feel a sense of emptiness as she continued to look on. His eyes were still open, but the glimmer of life had obviously left them. Edward sat for a moment, and quickly rose to her feet. She hugged his body tightly. She began to weep and quietly sob into his chest. Once she had regained herself, she laid him back and closed his eyes with her right hand. She thanked him and kissed him on the forehead. She began to pray over his body, with Ein beside her, and this lasted through the remainder of the night. At dawn, Edward began packing up her things from the teepee and found Milly's number among her belongings. She held onto it and decided to begin building Laughing Bull's coffin out of spare plywood and nails she found lying around. She fashioned it to the best of her ability and went into town to find tall stakes upon which she could suspend the coffin in the air. Lance offered his help to her and they accomplished this task within 3 hours. Edward tearfully thanked Lance and he proceeded to comfort her with an embrace. As he drove Edward and Ein back into town, she looked back at the grave sight as it slowly disappeared into the horizon.

Once they reached town, Lance bought Edward a bowl of noodles and gave her a dime to dial up Nema. Edward listened to the phone ringing and waited for her friend to pick up. Once the phone stopped ringing, she heard a familiar voice answer the phone.

"Hey Nematode... It's Ed..."

"Edward! Oh my gosh how are you? Are you ready to come visit us yet?"

"Sure, I've never seen Gunsmoke before... I actually called to ask a favor of you...something's happened and I don't think I can stay on Mars anymore..l"

"And what is that? Are you okay, Ed?"

"Well, it's hard to say, but Laughing Bull died suddenly and I have to find a new place to live... I'm sick of this planet..."

"Oh Edward... When did this happen? I'm so sorry to hear that. You poor thing, you must be so lonely there..."

"Actually Lance is here with me..."

Nema's line went silent for a moment.

"Really?"

"Yeah, he says 'hi'... You wanna talk to him?"

"Don't push it, Ed. I'll be in Tharsis in an hour."

"Okay Nematode", Edward giggled as she hung up. Lance chuckled, looked up at Edward from his seat, and petted Ein.

"She still hates me, huh?"

"I wouldn't say that... Nema's just weird with boys..."

"Does she still have that big-ass .45 colt she stole from the pawn shop?"

"I dunno. I should ask her when she gets here."

Edward and Lance continued talking throughout the night until they saw Milly's ship lower on the horizon. Nema walked out in her pajamas & greeted Edward with a hug. Nema had grown much taller and her hair had been lightened by the sun. Lance loaded Edward's bags onto the ship as Nema eyed him suspiciously. He was still quite smitten with her.

"It's alright... I'm not gonna steal anything..."

"Good. Just as long as we understand each other on that matter..."

"Hey, by the way, where's my gun?"

"What gun?"

"The .45 Colt you jacked from the shop..."

Nema smiled coyly...

"I've grown fond of the little guy. Besides, it's my gun now..."

"Little?! That thing's like 30 pounds..."

"Well, as they say, the bigger the better..."

The girls and Ein loaded the ship as Edward thanked Lance and gave him a departing hug. They arrived in Gunsmoke an hour later and drowsily unboarded the ship. Nema guided Edward into a small house and led her to a guest room down the hall. Edward said goodnight to Nema and collapsed into her guest bed. Ein leapt up into the bed and settled next to marshmallowy feeling of the bed sent her into an almost comatose sleep. She had not slept in a real bed for almost five years.

In the morning, Edward was awakened by the sound of Nema gathering her belongings for the paper route. She was tempted to get up and see her off, but she fell back asleep and did not awaken until an hour or so later. When she arose a second time, a tray had been laid out for her. She saw a note from Nema that read as follows:

"Come see me at the newspaper station when you're ready.

Love,

Nema ".

Edward ate the contents of the tray and went into the bathroom. She ran a warm bath and laid there for another hour. She scrubbed the filth and grime off herself and got dressed. She walked down the hallways and saw no sign of Nema. Edward looked at the clock on the wall; "10:00 a.m." It read. She ventured outside and was astonished of the surroundings of Little Arcadia. The entire town was inhabited by hippies and free spirits. People outside were singing and playing instruments; others were going about their ways in the marketplace. Edward had never seen so many dreadlocks and headscarves gathered in one setting. She walked around for a bit and surveyed the new city. She felt that she could easily adapt to Little Arcadia. She looked up at the sky and noticed something odd. "What the hell are two suns doing up there?" she muttered to herself. She approached a postman with braids in his hair. She asked him where she could locate the news paper station, and he said he could easily drive her there. They struck up a friendly conversation, and the man finally ended up offering Edward a job at the post office.

"Wow thanks... Who should I ask for when I apply?"

"Oh! I almost forgot... My name is Youssef. I'm the assistant manager at the post office... If you come by tomorrow and fill out the forms, they'll be more than happy to call you back & get you in the job. No interview necessary."

He pulled up in the news headquarters and let Edward off. She thanked him and went inside. Edward waited in the waiting room until Nema spotted her and greeted her with a hug. They left for Nema's lunch hour and listened to the local music show. Later that night, Edward told Nema of the offer she got over dinner. Nema told Edward that she would help her find the post office after her paper route. The next morning, Edward rode along with Nema and completed the application process at the post office. Three days later, she got a call from Youssef; she got the job position. Youssef trained Edward for the mail route over a period of 7 days and she quickly adapted. The post office staff adored Ein and allowed him to accompany Edward on her route. 3 months later, Edward was promoted to interplanetary delivery. She made a deal with Nema that she would help pay part of the house utility bills and mortgage. Nema was delighted with her new housemate and planned to make it a wonderful living experience for Edward on Little Arcadia.

***Soundtrack for enhanced reading-

The Burial of Laughing Bull:  /1o3cOH70C-0  
The music played in Little Arcadia: /0JUsc69dHLY


	7. Chapter 6- A Modest Pastry Proposal

One morning, Edward rose from her bed in the early morning and decided to buy Nema a sweet surprise from one of the street vendors. There was a Cambodian woman named Tonja who sold the best honey-based pastries down the street . Nema would buy them only for special occasions. Edward thought Nema would appreciate it if she came home to her favorite dessert. Edward carefully exited the house, leaving Ein and Nema behind, and ventured out into the city to find the much sought-after pastry stand. As Edward continued walking, she could smell the pastries cooking in the early morning air. She walked a few more blocks and spotted the stand. She eagerly ran towards the stand, only to find a strange sight. Tonja was nowhere to be seen, only a young man replaced her position, and he was arguing with an odd-looking man. He was extremely tall, with blonde and spiked hair, he had a single earring in his left ear, and donned a long red trench coat. Edward felt a bit threatened by his appearance until she heard him speak.

"What do you mean you can't accept half a double dollar for those donuts over there?! Can't you have a little compassion for a starving traveler?"

"Man, you heard me... A single one costs $3 double-dollars, and I'm not budging on it."

"Please, PLEASE lower the price on just one, and I'll throw in something to pay off the difference..."

"I said NO! Now scram! You're holding up the line..."

Edward was appalled at the contemptuous way the vendor was treating the man and how sensitive the threatening man was turning out to be. The man turned around and faced Edward. He caught eye-contact with her, and she noticed he was tearing up a bit.

"I can't even get a donut without a fight anymore..." He mumbled to himself as he sulked away and sat down at a nearby bench. Edward heard his stomach growl as he passed her. She approached the vendor cautiously and took a deep breath.

"What'll ya have?"

"I'll take a small sack of those honey pastries and a large sack of those strawberry ones..."

The vendor began loading the pastries into two separate sacks. Once he finished, he returned and placed the sacks on top of the counter.

"Will that be it for you?"

"Yes sir."

"$72 double dollars."

Edward paid up and left with her sacks. As she was leaving, she spotted the spiky-haired man sitting alone on the bench, foolishly whimpering to himself. Edward felt pangs of nervousness and self-consciousness as she slowly approached him from behind and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and faced her. Edward blushed slightly as she made eye-contact with him.

"Um... I noticed that the vendor was being rather uncivil and wouldn't let you have anything, so I took the liberty of buying extra donuts... You wanted the honey ones, right?"

A look of extreme gratitude came over the man's face as Edward handed him the small sack of donuts. He smiled and took one out.

"Gee, thanks for your generosity. I was really starving back there & running low on cash..."

He bit into the donut energetically and offered a seat to Edward. She sat down shyly and placed her sack of donuts on the ground.

"It was really nice of you to do this for me... I don't know how I'll ever repay you..."

"Oh, well, it's really nothing at all... I'm glad you like them."

The man smiled at Edward and finished his donut as he faced her.

"Ah, those are the best things ever. I still can't thank you enough for being so nice to me... I don't want to be too straightforward, but can I ask your name?"

Edward felt her palms sweat as she choked out her name.

"Edward...My name is Edward."

"Edward, huh? That's a pretty neat name for a girl. My name's Vash..."

"Oh Vash? Like the French word for a cow?"

"A cow?!"

Vash blushed and laughed at Edward's remark. She giggled at his loud laughter as they sat there chuckling like maniacs. Vash was laughing so hard that tears began to run down his face. He wiped his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Oh boy, I've never heard that one before... You just made my day."

Edward smiled at Vash and noticed the time on the central town clock. It was time for her to go to work.

"Well Vash, I have to go to work now, but it was a pleasure meeting you... Enjoy the rest of those donuts."

As Edward got up to leave, Vash leapt up from his seat and grabbed her shoulder.

"Hey wait! Where do you work? Maybe I could help you out there or something. I mean, I HAVE to repay you for how nice you were back there..."

"Well, I'm just the mailman around here. I don't know exactly what you could do to help me..."

"Great! I'll tag along and keep you company. I've got nothing to do around here and could use the exercise. So whaddya say? Can I come along?"

"Sure...I don't see why not. You seem like good company. I just have to drop these pastries off at home, but I'll meet you back here in about 10 minutes."

So Edward dropped off the pastries for Nema and dressed into her mailman's uniform. She met Vash at the same spot and they proceeded on to the post office. Vash was such a great help to Edward and made her laugh throughout the entire route. When they got back to the post office, Vash helped alphabetize letters and load packages onto the ships. At the end of the day, Vash walked Edward home.

"Can we do this again tomorrow?"

"Sure... I'll even buy you some more donuts."

"No, it's my turn this time. So I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah"

"Okay, bye Edward!"

"Bye!"

Edward waved to him as he walked away from the porch. Nema entered from inside and sat next to Edward.

"Hey thanks for buying donuts... I see you made a new friend, huh?"

"Yeah... I met him at Tonja's donut booth. He's really funny."

"So what's his name?"

"Vash..."

A blank stare went over Nema's face as she did a spit-take with her water.

"What did you say his name was?!"

"Vash... Like the cow..."

"Oh honey, that ain't no cow we're talking about here...You have to be more careful about these things...Now he knows where we live!" Nema got up and went into the house.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, trust me. My cousin Milly used to follow this guy around... they say he's a walking disaster... 'The Humanoid Typhoon', they call him."

"Well that doesn't sound right. He's an awfully nice person..."

"That's exactly what Milly said, but anywhere he goes, he leaves behind disaster and destruction."

"Maybe he just has the same name as the other guy..."

"Listen Ed, I'm not telling you what to do, I just want you to be careful around him. Having him in our city puts it at risk of being destroyed, but people here are so accepting that they're not gonna run him out. It's that $60,000,000 double-dollars on his head that compels people to lose it... The greed makes me sick... "

"You mean he's a fugitive?"

Nema nodded.

"You ever heard of the July incident? They say he was the one who caused it to happen."

Edward went silent for a moment.

"Meh, be that as it may, Nema, I still think he's a very nice person, and I'm not gonna draw conclusions about him just yet. Don't worry, I'll take your advice and be careful around him... Who knows? Maybe you'll end up agreeing with me on this matter..."

"Alright, Ed. I'm going to bed now. See you in the morning."

"Night, Nematode."

Edward went into the kitchen and poured Ein some food. She showered and got ready for bed. She climbed in, said an evening prayer, and slowly drifted off into a deep slumber.


	8. Chapter 7- Viper's Sting

Three weeks passed as Vash and Edward continued to deliver the mail together on a daily basis. They had grown pretty well acquainted with each other throughout the weeks much to the chagrin of Nema. Nema remained wary and vigilant of Vash and distanced herself whenever he came around for fear that he might unleash his destructive side. She was never rude nor cold to Vash, and her feelings did not come out of malice or jealousy; her concern just managed to influence her views of Edward and Vash's friendship. Ein especially took a liking to Vash's company and would beg for games of "fetch" whenever he would visit.

One morning as Edward was getting ready to deliver the mail, she noticed that Ein was nowhere to be seen. She checked the rest of the house and began to walk around the house and the backyard area, calling out for her dog. She received no response and began to grow worried. She noticed she was late for her mail route, so she stopped and ran toward the stairwell. She climbed the stairs and shouted at Nema through her bedroom door.

"HEY NEMA!"

"WHAT?!"

"I can't find Ein anywhere... Can you keep an eye out for him?"

"Sure, sure... I just need 5 more minutes of sleep..."

"Alrighty. Sleep well!"

Edward climbed back down the stairs, walked out of the door, and locked it. As she turned around, her face smacked into a red trench coat and she gave out a loud shriek.

"Oh Vash! Good, good, good, you're here..."

She cautiously patted his shoulder.

"So sorry about that, you just startled me a bit...How long have you been out here?"

Vash laughed childishly.

"Just a few minutes... I'll be sure to not creep up on you like that. You good?"

"I'm just a big jumpy...I haven't seen Ein all morning..."

"Where did you last see him?"

"Well, he fell asleep with me last night, but I haven't seen him ever since. Maybe he snuck out and went to the club or something..."

Vash chuckled as they walked down the stairs of the porch and began the mail route.

A few minutes passed before Vash tapped Edward's shoulder and said, "Hey Ed, I was meaning to tell you something earlier but I just remembered now..."

"What's that?"

"Well, I hope this doesn't upset you, but I have to leave town pretty soon..."

"Oh really? How soon are we talking?"

"A couple of days..."

"Oh... Do you need help packing or something?"

"Yeah, I could use some help...Thanks for the offer." He paused for a moment.

" I really hate to leave this town, though..."

"How so?"

"I don't know... The people here seem so accepting and at peace with each other. I mean, you rarely see towns like this on Gunsmoke... It's just one of those rare gems this planet possesses..."

"Hmm, I guess I never thought about it that way, but come to think of it, it is quite unique."

Edward watched as people passed her and Vash, smiling and waving at them as they went.

Edward finally broke the silence and said,

"It is kinda sad that you have to leave... You've turned into a pretty good friend of mine..."

"You think so?"

"Of course! Besides Nema, you're one of the closest people to me... You know, you kinda remind me of someone I used to know..."

"Why's that?"

"Oh, no reason... He was just someone who brought me a lot of happiness when I was younger... though he was kind of a grump and more cynical..."

"Was this a boyfriend of yours?"

"Oh no! Not at all... Hah, he'd kick himself if THAT ever happened... He was more of a role model/guardian-type person... He did carry a gun around like you do..."

"What was his name?"

"Spike-person..."

"His parents named him 'person'?"

"Oh no... I used to have a terrible speech impediment when I was younger...Nema helped fix that, fortunately..."

Edward heard the distinct bark of her dog. She paused for a moment and looked around.

"Hold on, Vash, I think I just found my dog..."

She ran towards the sound of Ein's barking as it grew louder and louder. Vash followed Edward closely behind. Edward ran down the block and into the outskirts of town as she neared the sound of her dog. When she finally arrived, she gasped at the sight of the scene. Ein was messing with a large Taipan snake by pawing and barking at it, slowly angering the creature.

"EIN NO! GET AWAY FROM THAT THING- IT'S GONNA BITE YOU!"

Edward sprinted towards Ein and snatched him up from the ground as the snake charged at her. Ein struggled against Edward and leapt out of her arms to attack the snake. Edward spastically jumped up and dodged from side to side frequently to avoid the snake's strike. She spotted Ein and awkwardly ran toward him. As Edward bent down to grab Ein a second time, the snake charged at her. Edward crawled hastily away from the snake, attempting to escape it but not anger the creature. Before she could react, Vash stepped in and kicked the snake out of the way as it struck his right ankle and latched itself on. Vash shook off the snake as it crawled away. He fell onto his back as Edward crawled towards him and began to remove his right boot.

"Did it get you?"

Vash gripped his foot in pain.

"Yeah... But it's fine... it's better that the snake gets me and not you..."

"Let me see your leg."

"No, Ed... It's fine, really... See, I can still walk... Now let's find a hospital..."

Vash slowly rose to his feet for a few moments and collapsed back to the ground.

"Vash, you gotta let me see your leg..."

"Why?"

"We have to extract venom somehow..."

At this point, the venom was beginning to make Vash woozy and lightheaded. He began to cold sweat as he sluggishly lie down and breathed heavily. The venom began to make its way through his veins.

Edward continued taking off his boot. Once she had it removed, she surveyed his swollen and purple foot and saw the ominous bite marks from the snake. Edward slowly dragged Vash toward a nearby stone and propped his leg on it as she pressed her lips to the wound and began extracting the venom with her mouth. The toxic liquid stung and burned the inside of her mouth as she frenziedly sucked in the venom and spat it out. After about 5 minutes, Edward could handle no more of the poison and retched up the contents of her stomach. By then, some townspeople had spotted them and called an ambulance wagon to gather them. The paramedics loaded Edward and Vash onto the wagon and had them admitted into the local hospital.

Edward had her stomach pumped of all the venom and multiple vials were injected into her tongue to ward off any infections. She was placed in a basic hospital room with a single window, a small bathroom, a mini-fridge, a sitting area, and a small cot where she lay. Her tongue swelled up and protruded out of her mouth to the point where she resembled a thirsty dog. Vash also received injections in his ankle and had it put in a boot to recover from the swelling and pain. He had been sedated since the snake had bitten him and had no idea where he was. His room was caddy corner from Edward's, but he could never get up and visit her due to the orders of the physician. That same night, Vash waited until the nursing personnel and medical supervisors were nowhere to be seen. He looked to his left, then to his right, slowly climbed out of his room, closed the door, lunked heavy boot across the floor to Edward's room, and quietly knocked.

Edward had been sleeping peacefully until she heard the sound of Vash's boot hitting the ground. She quickly awoke and rubbed her eyes. Her tongue prevented any coherence in her words, but she managed to struggle out: "Wooh mizzit?"

"Uhm, it's Vash... Sorry, but did I get the wrong room? I'm looking for an Edward..."

"Nuh! Iz me... Come en..."

Vash opened the door and saw Edward lying in her bed. She waved to him in a friendly manner and smiled at him as her tongue hung out.

"Oh good! So I did get the right room... For a second there, I thought I messed up..."

Vash noticed Edward's swollen tongue and a pitying look came across his face.

"Your poor tongue... How did that happen? Did that snake get you in the mouth?"

Edward shook her head and pointed to Vash's boot. Vash looked down at it as the realization of Edward's deed flooded his mind.

"Ed, did you suck out the venom with your mouth?"

Edward nodded at Vash and continued to smile at him. Vash sat down in a chair near Edward and put his chin in his palms. He looked rather worried for a few minutes as Edward sat and stared at him concernedly. He finally decided to break the silence.

"Ed, you realize that you could have been killed by that stuff..."

Edward shrugged her shoulders and continued to stare.

"With that high a concentration of venom, you could have poisoned yourself from doing that to me..."

Edward's head sunk as she looked away from Vash. She rubbed the thin blankets covering her together with her fingers nervously. She began to feel ashamed and as if she had somehow disobeyed orders. Vash saw this and quickly changed his approach.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, Ed, I'm really grateful that you did this for me and risked your own life to save mine... I just want you to be more careful... It just scared me is all..."

Edward nodded and pointed at Vash's ankle again. She indicated with her pointing and grunting that she wanted to know the condition of his ankle.

"Huh? Oh! My ankle's fine... Just some more meds and this boot will fix it right up... The doctor said he would have had to amputate it if any more venom had stayed inside. I guess I have you to thank for that..."

Edward giggled as her tongue wagged. She stopped it from flopping around with her hand as a voice from the door called out,

"Hey, you go to bed! No boys allowed... "

Edward looked up and saw Nema. She cried out cheerfully and signaled for Nema to come give her a hug by holding out her arms. Nema walked over with a duffle bag and gave Edward a long hug.

"I was so worried about you..." Nema surveyed Edward's face and spotted her swollen tongue.

"Oh poor child, your little tongue!" Nema turned round to fetch Edward some water. As she turned, she faced Vash and raised her hand.

"Hey Vash."

"Hi Nema..."

"Oh dear, you got hurt as well?"

Nema bent down and touched Vash's boot; he was somewhat baffled by this maneuver, but nevertheless, went along with it.

"Yeah, but it's all good now... We just have to get Edward here all better..."

Nema got up and walked over to the sink and poured Edward a glass of cold water. She put ice cubes inside and walked over to Edward and handed it to her.

"You want one too, Vash?"

"No thanks, I'm good..."

"So... Tell me how this all happened. I'm dying to know. I've heard so many different stories and this only happened a few hours ago. Now I heard the snake struck her in the tongue... Is that true?"

Edward gave off a startled look and shook her head.

Vash answered, "Oh goodness, no... No, that would have been much more serious." He looked at Edward for reassurance. "She, um...actually extracted the venom out of my wound with her mouth... And that's why her tongue is all swollen.."

Vash averted his eyes from Nema as her mouth fell open.

"You mean to say that you both had Taipan venom in your systems & won't have to have anything amputated?!"

Vash nodded and smiled at Nema.

"Yes ma'am... Just meds and injections and we're set... But Edward has to get shots in her mouth..."

Nema closed her eyes and winced at this. She looked over at Edward who had fallen fast asleep during their conversation.

"Poor thing. She's exhausted..." Vash sighed as he looked over.

"Yeah... She's had a pretty rough time today... Hey Vash?"

"Hm?"

"Can I talk to you about something in a different room? I don't wanna disturb Edward..."

"Sure. We can go to my room across the hall or to the waiting area..."

"How 'bout across the hall? Since there's more privacy..."

"Okay, sure..."

The two slowly got up and exited the room. Vash tiptoed as best as he could with his boot and quietly closed the door. As they entered his room, Nema sat down and faced Vash.

"So what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Well first of all, I just wanted to thank you for what you did for Edward today..."

"Aw shucks, it was really nothing. She was the one who saved me-"

"I also wanted to apologize if I came off as unfriendly or cold..."

"No, Nema... Not at all... Why is this a concern of yours?"

Nema sighed and took a deep breath.

"Well, for starters, I've known about you for a while and what kind of a reputation you have on this planet...How they call you 'The Humanoid Typhoon'."

Vash stiffened up at her words.

"Go on..."

"I've heard about the July incident and how much destruction you've supposedly caused this planet. Hearing these things caused me to believe that you were some sort of psychopathic monster who would destroy anything in its path... But I've come to realize that I was entirely wrong about you the entire time..."

Vash looked up at Nema.

"You're none of the things those urban legends say you are. You're actually quite the opposite. You've cared for my friend and made her so happy that I could never continue treating you the way I did... And for that, I apologize."

"It's fine, Nema. You were just looking out for Edward & wanted to protect her..."

"Well there's also something else I must confess to you..."

"And what's that?"

"Do you remember a girl named Milly Thompson?"

Vash was thunderstruck when he heard this name. Nevertheless, he kept his calm demeanor.

"Gosh, I haven't seen Milly in years... How do you know her?"

"She's my first cousin..."

Vash was awestruck.

"REALLY?!"

"Yes, yes... I've read many letters about you and your exploits... I also remember how she talked about you and Meryl."

The second Nema mentioned this name, pangs of sadness and guilt filled Vash's heart.

"Meryl... Boy, I haven't spoken to her in years..."

Nema stared at Vash for a while.

"I know it's a sensitive subject, and I apologize for mentioning it, but you have to promise me one thing..."

"What's that?"

"Now, I'm not the most intelligent being, but I know a few things and can sense them as well..."

Nema paused for a moment as Vash urged her to continue.

"...The dynamics I see between you and Edward have led me to believe that there is something more deep and meaningful than friendship between you two..."

Vash paused for a minute before averting his eyes, sighing deeply, and burying his head in his hands. He finally dragged his fingers across his face and slowly looked up at Nema.

"You'd be correct about this..."

"That's what I thought. It's fine, Vash. I'm not condemning you for feeling this way."

"So you're not upset?"

"After seeing what a good spirit you have, I'm not. Not in the least bit."

Vash gave out another sigh of relief.

"You can't say you know about any of this, though..."

"I won't, Vash... You guys' secret is safe with me."

"So what did you need me to promise you?"

"I need you to promise me that you won't handle Edward the same way you handled the Meryl situation...And that if she ever asks you about your past, you'll be completely honest with her & won't conceal yourself...And most importantly, please be honest with yourself..."

"Is that all?"

"Yes..."

"Alright... I promise."

Nema smiled.

"I just...couldn't lie to Meryl that way. I couldn't tell her that I felt more than friendship for her... It would have been wrong and deceitful of me... I just would have ended up hurting her more in the long run... She just took it so hard and resented me for telling the truth..."

"I know Vash, but I agree with you completely. You had her best interest in mind... You were merely looking out for her, and she just couldn't see it at that point... I mean, you'd never try to hurt anyone on purpose..."

Vash stared at Nema with a sad look on his face.

"You really think so?"

"Absolutely. You're too kind to do that. I'm glad we had this talk... Hopefully, we can become better friends in the future."

Nema began to walk out of the room.

"Nema?"

"Yes Vash?"

"I think I'm going to stay in town longer to help you out with Edward. And if your ever see Milly, could you tell her I said, 'hi'?"

"Of course, Vash... I can do that for you. I'm going to let you sleep now, but I'll be back in the morning."

"Alright Nema. See you soon."

"Bye."

Nema departed as Vash quietly re-entered Edward's room. He sat down in a chair and watched her sleep for a while. He looked at the clock on the wall which read "1:00 a.m." Vash slowly drifted off to sleep in the big comfy chair.

Extra soundtrack for enhanced reading: Listen whilst reading the "snake attack" section ? Theme from "**Death Rides a Horse**"  /Ff-kQ-UmflA


	9. Chapter 8- Old Rugged Cross

The next morning Vash was awakened by the sound of the doctor abruptly swinging open the door to Edward's room. The doctor gave him an angry look and slowly shook his head.

"I thought I told you to keep off your foot and stay in your room..."

"Well, you see, doc, Edward here was all alone and I just felt the need to-"

With that, the doctor reached for a small bottle in the pocket of his medical coat and squirted Vash right in the face with cold water. The doctor began to laugh profusely as Vash screamed and exited the room.

"Shoo! Go on, get outta here! It's not your turn for a checkup!" The doctor turned and faced a somewhat disgruntled Edward.

"Sorry about that, Miss Edward. Just trying to ward off intruders is all... Now, let me see that tongue of yours so I can examine it..."

The doctor put on a pair of rubber gloves and felt around on Edward's tongue for lumps. He took out a popsicle stick and measured the swelling levels with it.

"Alright, looks as if we won't have to give you anymore injections for that puppy, but we'll be sending you home with some meds and herbs to help heal the swelling.. Can you say some of your consonants for me real quick?"

Edward slowly muttered and garbled out a few as the doctor jotted something down onto his clipboard.

"Yeah, looks like you're going to need about a week's supply of those meds... Though you seem to be showing significant signs of recovery... Your tongue has gone down in size, so we have that to look forward to..."

Edward nodded and peered over in the corner. The doctor turned around and saw that Vash had his spiky head in the doorway and was eavesdropping on them. The doctor reached for the bottle and Vash quickly retreated to his room.

"Wow that guy won't ever give up... He must be pretty attached to you or something to be that clingy... Well, Miss Edward, I think you're on your way to a swift recovery. You can leave anytime you choose. I'll have Nurse Wanda assist you when you're ready to leave. Now I have to go check up on Vash...I'm sure he's DYING to get out of here..."

The doctor departed the room and headed towards Vash's room. Later that day, Nurse Wanda, Nema, and Vash helped assist Edward out of the hospital and to home. Ein greeted Edward warmly and never left her lap. Nema picked up medications while Vash kept Edward company at home. He babied her by constantly making her soothing tea and soup and by regulating her medication ingestion. This helped the swelling in Edward's tongue go down sufficiently. She was immensely touched by the help Vash offered her and would thank him as best as she could by changing the bandaging on his snakebite wound. Youssef visited Edward and gave her extra time off in order to fully recover. A few days later, Edward could speak again and her tongue no longer had any pain. She resolved to return to work in the morning, but first she had to speak with Vash about his intended departure. She spotted him one afternoon sitting outside on the porch. She slowly entered the area and pulled up a chair and sat down by him.

"Hey Ed... How's your tongue feeling?"

"Much better since I can speak now... How 'bout your ankle?"

"Almost as good as new... The bitemark's almost gone and Nurse Wanda said I don't have to wear the boot anymore, so that's a plus..."

He and Edward surveyed the angel rays of the sun in the distance.

"Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Oh, I was just curious why you stayed longer than you planned..."

"Well I had to help take care of you, Ed. It was the very least I could do after you bought me donuts and sucked poison out of my foot... If at all, I should be on-call for you 24/7 after all you've done..."

Vash smiled shyly at Edward and she returned the gesture. She pulled her knees to her chin and slouched.

"That'd be nice... You've been a great help to me as well... It's gonna be a shame to see you go... I'm just glad I got extra time with you and that you & Nema are on good terms... Speaking of which, what's up with that? How did that happen?"

"Well, we just had a few discussions while you were asleep in the hospital and came to an understanding... "

"Well that's good... Hey Vash?"

"Yes?"

"I know it's probably none of my business, but, why are you deciding to leave?"

Vash remembered Nema's words.

"I'm in the midst of a very bad feud with a family member of mine... And I must attempt to find him and make peace with him..."

"Oh, sorry to hear that... That's hard to have that going on with loved ones..."

"Yeah, but it could be a lot worse... I just hope he's more open to change by now...What about your family?"

"Don't know that much about them... My mother is unknown and my dad has some sort of early-onset Alzheimer's or something... Last time I saw him was about 5 years ago on earth..."

"Wow, that's heavy..."

"Yeah, but there are too many good people in the universe like you and Nema to let that phase me... I've always felt loved by someone, which is in itself a blessing... I hope you can experience that with this family member of yours. I hope you can make peace with each other and that you can come back and visit one day..."

Vash grinned at Edward.

"Oh, I'm planning on it, Edward... Even if things don't work out, I'll still make it a priority to come see you & Nema again..."

They continued chatting until Nema came home. They helped him pack that night and saw him off in the morning. Edward and Nema hugged Vash and gave him a box of donuts before he departed. Edward approached Vash and gave him yet another warm hug.

"I'm gonna miss you so much..."

"I'm gonna miss you as well, Ed.."

"...Please travel safely and best of luck to you..."

"Thanks Ed..."

Vash began to walk away until he realized something. Throwing down his bags, he began to frantically sprint back towards the house.

"What's the matter, Vash?!" Nema shouted as he ran through the front door and began to run up the stairwell.

"What is going on?"

"Oh nothing! I just forgot something in the guest room closet is all..."

Vash came down the stairs carrying a giant cloth-covered cross. Edward gasped as the recognition of the object settled in her memory.

"Ah-hah! I knew I couldn't leave without it..."

Edward slowly approached the cross and reached out and touched it. She studied it carefully.

"What is it, Edward?" Asked Vash...

Edward continued to stare at the cross. She finally came to her senses and answered him in two words:

"That priest..."


	10. Chapter 9- The Exposition of Wolfwood

Around 15 years ago, a small Françoise Appledehli and her father, Mr. Appledelhi, had stumbled into a small Catholic orphanage to seek shelter from an ongoing storm outside. As they entered the facility, they saw that the inhabitants had all retired to their chambers and had all fallen fast asleep. Not wanting to disturb them, Mr. Appledehli made a small makeshift bed in the corner for Edward constructed of towels and throw pillows.

"That soft enough for ya, Françoise?"

She silently nodded at her father and smiled at him. Françoise had never spoken a single word in her six years of life, but Mr. Appledehli had grown accustomed to her silence and nevertheless enjoyed her company. He watched her as she slowly curled up and fell asleep on the ground. Mr. Appledehli listened to the pitter-patter of the falling rain until he finally nodded off...

"What the heck is that?"

"It looks like a hermit came in here or something..."

"Is it dead?"

Françoise was rudely awakened by a poking sensation in her face. She quickly awoke and noticed she was surrounded by a group of children and a rather dirty-looking boy had been prodding her face with a stick. She abruptly jumped up, grabbed the stick, and hissed at the boy like a feral cat. The children screamed and dispersed as she heard the voice of an adult.

"Children! What is going on?"

"Sister Clara! It has rabies!"

"Just what on earth are you talking about?"

"That!"

The boy pointed a fearful finger at Françoise, who by now had turned her face completely into the corner. A small child approached the nun and tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Sister Clara, Gene poked it with a stick to make sure it wasn't dead..."

"Is that what happened?"

The child nodded.

"Well no wonder it's upset... When you do something like that to someone, it's going to rattle them up a bit. The poor dear was probably exhausted."

The nun stooped down to Françoise's level.

"Hey, are you okay? Do you need help?"

Françoise peered at the nun and drew even closer to the corner. The nun patiently placed her hand on the girl.

"My child, you look tired and famished... If you will allow me to help you, I'll get you some nourishment. Gene here was just curious about you and probably didn't express that in the most polite manner... Maybe if you could tell me a bit about yourself, say, your name, maybe we could help locate a family member..."

Françoise slowly turned around and faced Sister Clara. The nun looked into her eyes and realized the child's dilemma.

"Oh dear...Someone left you here last night... Didn't they?"

She averted her eyes from the nun and began to survey the orphanage. She caught eye-contact with Gene who gave her a disgusted look.

"Ugh, I don't know if it's a boy or girl..."

Sister Clara glanced at him severely and snapped, "That will be quite enough, Gene! Say another thing like that & you'll be sent to bed without any supper!"

"Yes, Sister Clara..." Gene began to walk away into the hallway. Sister Clara held out her hand to Françoise.

"Don't fear, little one. You're in safe hands, now. Now let's get you something to eat... You must be starving."

The nun fed the girl a confection of herring and grits which Françoise ate up heartily. She introduced her to the children that day and let her join in on all of the schooling activities. Françoise could already read and write pretty well, but she was most proficient in mathematics. She even solved some of the older children's problems with ease, but she never uttered a single word.

This dynamic carried on for a few more days, until one morning, Sister Clara made an unexpected announcement that no lessons were to be held that day.

"Alright children, settle down... I just received very important news this morning that I'm sure you will all be thrilled to hear. Father Wolfwood is paying a special visit to earth later today to see all of you and bring by some food!"

The children all began exclaiming in awe.

"Now, I know you're all excited, but I need you to be on your best behavior and show Father Wolfwood gratitude for his visit..."

"We will, Sister Clara," said the children in unison. Françoise gave off a confused look as to who this Father Wolfwood was. A small girl named Samantha approached Françoise.

"Have you ever met Father Wolfwood?"

She shook her head.

"Oh, he's so cool! He's this priest who carries around a giant cross and brings us candy and plays with us... He's strong and tall and super handsome as well!"

The girl had stars in her eyes as she said this. Fraçcoise held her hand to her mouth and giggled at the girl. Gene butted in and said, "Father Wolf is too much of a man to focus on that sissy stuff!"

"Oh quiet, you! Go bob for apples in the outhouse!" Gene fell silent and walked away. Françoise looked at the girl in admiration as she turned to face her.

"Sorry about that...My name's Samantha..." The girl extended her small hand to Françoise. She shyly shook the girl's hand and smiled at her. "I can introduce you to Father Wolfwood later. He'll be happy to see a new kid here..."

Sister Clara then summoned the children to get cleaned up before Father Wolfwood arrived. All of the children were given warm baths and changes of nice clothes which had been donated to the orphanage for special occasions. Françoise received a nice green plaid dress with white socks and black patent shoes. She had some trouble walking in them due to her unfamiliarity with wearing shoes. Sister Clara gathered the children outside of the orphanage. They waited outside for a while until they heard the sound of a distant motorcycle approaching. Just when they thought the revving had passed them, a large motorcycle drove up and stopped. A tall man wearing a black suit and sunglasses unmounted the bike. He gathered a large cloth-covered cross and planted it on the ground. The children looked up at him and screamed with delight. They all ran to him and swarmed him with greetings and numerous questions. Father Wolfwood picked up a small child and mounted him on his shoulders. Françoise stayed behind and watched the children welcome the mysterious priest. Sister Clara approached him and gave him a warm hug.

"Nicolas... So glad you're here..."

The man took off his sunglasses and smiled at the nun.

"It's great to be back... I was starting to miss these little guys..." The priest noticed Françoise cowering behind Sister Clara. He bent down and studied her.

"Well now... Who's this new addition to the family?"

Françoise recoiled even more and hid her face in the nun's dress.

"Oh don't be shy... I was just asking," the priest cheerfully stated to her.

Sister Clara sighed. "It's hard to say... She hasn't said a single word since she came here."

"Oh, well she seems like a pretty neat kid. That's a pretty dress you're wearing." He winked at Françoise. "Well, whatever-your-name-is, it's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you enjoy it here."

The priest stood up and walked away with the horde of children following him. Sister Clara took Françoise's hand and led her inside the orphanage. Wolfwood read the children Bible stories; Françoise especially enjoyed the story of Joseph. Later that day, the children asked if they could go outside and play kickball. Wolfwood had brought them a new ball and they were eager to try it out.

Teams were chosen and Françoise was on the kicking side with Samantha. Gene was one of the team captains and the pitcher; he had an especially hateful gleam in his eye against Françoise. Gene struck out kids right and left, until it was Françoise's turn to kick. Gene rolled the ball toward her as she kicked with all her might and sent the ball hurtling towards the sky. Gene attempted to catch it, but failed. Françoise won her team a home run. As she neared the end of the home base, Gene approached her with the ball in hand and flung it in her face as hard as he could. The children gasped as Sister Anna, another nun, came over and began to berate him. As Françoise picked herself up from the ground, she heard Gene utter the unthinkable:

"She cheated! She cheated! She's just mad and out to get me because her dad left her here on purpose..."

Françoise sprinted towards Gene and violently flung herself onto him. Before Wolfwood could react, she pinned the boy to the ground and began slapping and punching him. Gene screamed in pain and begged her to stop the attack, but Françoise persisted. She got dirt all over her face and dress and continued her attack. Wolfwood ran to the scene and grabbed Françoise and took her off of Gene.

"What in the hell is going on here?!"

Françoise struggled against the priest until he grabbed her arm and told her in a firm voice, "HEY. Knock it off..."

Gene sobbed, "that street rat tried to kill me! She's a monster!"

Wolfwood looked at the tiny girl and drew her closer.

"Okay, girl. What caused this?"

Françoise remained silent and pulled her arm away from the priest's grasp. With catlike reflexes, he grabbed Françoise's arm and jerked her back. Françoise winced at the pain from the forceful jerk.

"C'mon! Please answer my question!"

Almost as quickly as the priest had done, Françoise let out a loud yelp and scratched the priest across his face. He let go of her arm and grabbed his cheek in pain. Françoise ran away frantically and entered the orphanage. She ran to Sister Clara and buried her face in her habit.

"What's wrong? Did you get hurt?! Oh, poor thing. You're all dirty...?"

The little girl began to sob into the nun. She patted Françoise on the back and quietly comforted her. Soon after, Wolfwood and Gene entered from outside and began to run cold water on a rag for their wounds. Sister Clara approached him.

"Oh dear... What happened to you two out there? Where did you get that nasty cut?"

"Oh, there was just a little dispute on the field... I think we've resolved it now..."

Sister Clara turned to Françoise and stared at her for a moment.

"Did you have anything to do with this?"

Françiose wiped tears off her face and peered at the ground.

Sister Clara gave both children a disappointed look.

"I see... Well, it looks like you children will have to be punished for this violent behavior. You'll both be placed in time-out and will be restricted from joining in the rest of today's activities. You'll also apologize to Father Wolfwood for displaying such behavior."

"Yes ma'am..." Gene uttered.

"Sorry, Father Wolf..." The nun gave Gene a menacing glare.

"Uh... Father Wolf...Wood..."

The priest nodded at the child. Françoise was about to pass both adults until Sister Clara cleared her throat loudly, indicating for Françoise to apologize to Wolfwood. The small girl stopped and stared at the ground for a few moments until her eyes shot up at his as she muttered, "Sorry."

Both adults stood in awe as the formerly silent child walked away and retired to the solitary room.

"That's the first word she has ever spoken since she's been here..."

"Well, the kid certainly packs a punch..." Wolfwood chuckled as he lit up a cigarette.

Sister Clara was awestruck.

"You mean to tell me she physically attacked Gene and managed to scratch you across the face?!"

Wolfwood smiled.

"Yeah... She's definitely something else... I kinda like her spunk..."

Sister Clara buried her head in her palms.

"Oh, children should never be so violent..."

"Actually, Gene may have needed some sense knocked into him."

"What do you mean by that?!"

"I'm just saying... The kid's got a big mouth and doesn't know when to stop talking. He's prone to saying some damaging things... Who knows? Maybe that redhead taught him a valuable lesson today." Sister Clara chuckled and shook her head.

"I actually find myself agreeing with you on this one..."

Wolfwood laughed and propped his cross on the wall.

"You know, Sister Clara, I admire your patience with all these kids..."

"...And I admire your generosity."

The nun summoned the children inside for dinner about an hour later. Wolfwood picked up an extra bowl and decided to deliver it to Françoise. He knocked on her door and poked his head in.

"Hey kid... I brought you some grub."

Françoise looked at him with tears streaking down her face. She quickly wiped them away and continued watching the priest. He entered, placed the bowl near her, and sat down next to her.

"Looks like its fish 'n grits again... It actually tastes pretty good if you put some Tabasco on it..."

He reached in his front pocket and poured a few drops in his bowl. He stirred the contents around with his spoon and blew on the mixture to cool it down.

"I know you're probably still upset with me about earlier... That kid wouldn't pipe down and I shouldn't have grabbed your arm so hard... For that, I apologize... I guess I had it coming for being that forceful."

Françoise looked up at the priest and saw the scratch marks on his face she had left. Sadness and guilt swelled up in her heart. She reached up and touched his face. The priest winced a bit, but quickly smiled at her gesture. Françoise returned his smile and quickly reached for the Tabasco sauce, put a few drops of it in her bowl, and began to eat. The priest smiled chuckled at this.

"Well I'll be... You like the spicy stuff, huh? Most kids hate the taste of that stuff..."

Françoise picked up her bowl and began to drink the contents. He placed two pieces of ginger chews next to her hand.

"You know, Kid... I like you... What's your name?"

Françoise struggled with this for a moment. She picked up one up, popped it in her mouth, and began to chew. She looked at the wrapper which read, "Edward's Ginger Chews".

"Gee, Sister Clara wasn't kidding when she said you were a quiet one..."

Françoise looked up at the priest and said, "Edward."

"Huh?"

"Ed's name is... Edward".

The priest paused for a moment.

"Edward, huh? That's a nifty name... You're probably used to calling me Father Wolfwood by now, but you can always call me Nicolas... Or just Wolfwood... Whatever's your preference."

Françoise, now Edward, giggled at him.

"Woof-wood..."

" hmm?"

"Woofwood..."

"Not bad... I kinda like it. You're okay, Ed... I'm gonna let you finish up your punishment now, but if you ever wanna talk again, all you gotta do is ask, okay?"

Edward nodded and smiled at the priest as he exited the room.

Over the next few years, Wolfwood and Edward developed a close friendship that surpassed that with the other children. During his visits, Wolfwood read to her at bedtime and would bring her pinwheels from other far off places he would travel through. Wolfwood would let Edward watch "Jesus Christ Superstar" with him on every Easter, much to the chagrin of Sister Clara. He was drawn to her eccentric personality and would berate the other children if they made fun of her speech impediment or how she spoke in the third person. She almost viewed him as an older brother. He had been one of the first people who had consistently cared about and had taken care of her.

Until one day, he stopped showing up at the orphanage...


	11. Chapter 10- Sting Operation

Two days had passed since Vash departed and the girls kept themselves occupied with delivering the mail and paper routes. Edward never said much about it, but Nema could sense sadness within her friend. One evening, Nema approached Edward while she was giving Ein a bath and decided to get her to open up more.

"...Hey Edward, need any help?"

"Hey Nema. Yeah, maybe you could rinse him off after I'm done scrubbing him..."

"Okay..."

They finished cleaning Ein and toweled him off. Edward began to clean off the hair in the tub, but Nema said she could do it for her. Edward went into the living room and sat down next to her computer, Tomato. She strapped on her goggles and began surfing the internet.

"Wow, it's been a while since I've done this.." Edward thought to herself. She came across news reports of missing children from all over the galaxy. She further surveyed the report, which calculated the disappearance of over 10,000 children. She felt a strange and suspicious inclination as to who was behind this, until she felt a tap on her shoulder. She took off her goggles and saw that it was Nema.

"Sorry to interrupt, but the tub's all clean! Not a spot of fur left."

"Thanks Nema..."

Edward closed Tomato and laid back on the couch. She slowly began to rub her temples as Ein jumped on her lap, dripping wet. Nema picked Ein up and placed him on the ground. She kneeled next to the couch and rested her elbows on the arms of the couch.

"Ed, this is just out of observation, but is there anything I can do to help you feel better?"

Edward stopped rubbing her temples and sighed.

"No, I don't think so, Nema... You've already been such a great help already. I know I've been mopey and sulky and not much of a good company, but I think it'll pass in a week or so..."

Nema grinned at Edward.

"You miss him, don't you?"

Edward closed her eyes and remained in that position for a long time.

"Hey, that's not a bad thing, Ed... You guys had a lot in common." Nema paused for a moment.

"I know it's difficult getting back into the groove without Vash, but if there's anything I can do to lift your spirits, just say so..."

Edward sat up and began rubbing her temples again.

"Well, it's not just that... I read something online just now about 10,000 kids disappearing throughout the galaxy and I have a really bad feeling that Alabaster may be behind it..."

Nema stiffened when she heard that name.

"What is this?"

Edward opened up Tomato and placed it on the floor next to Nema. She grabbed hold of her goggles and the both looked through one lense to read the article. Edward read,

"10,000 children have been reported missing from the planets of Venus, Jupiter, Pluto, Neptune, Mercury, and Earth earlier this afternoon. An extensive Missing Child Investigation has been called by the police forces on these planets but all planets are encouraged to keep an eye out for possible human cargo or abductors". Nema stared at Edward in disbelief.

"This is really strange... I thought that tunnel was smoked by the explosions..."

"I thought so, too..."

Images of burnt and frantic children climbing out of the colossal hole in the ground flashed in Edward's mind. She winced at this memory and tears began to well up in her eyes.

"I just can't stand the thought of 10,000 more kids having to go through what we did. I'm thankful that we made it out alive, but think of those who didn't... Think of those who have continued to be exploited for the past 5 years and those who are about to be... I can't sit here feeling sorry for myself while these kids are being abused... I won't stand for it!"

She slammed her computer closed and stood up. Nema followed her action and placed her hand on Edward's shoulder.

"I'm with you on this."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. You know a while back when you said you wanted to help these kids get out?"

"Yes..."

"Well Ed, keep in mind that we've got the resources now. We have a giant cargo ship outside. Just gimme the signal and I'll be on deck to help you get these kids away from Alabaster..."

Edward beamed.

"You really mean this, Nema?!"

"You betcha..." Nema began to walk toward the phone.

"Hey Nema, who are you calling?"

"My boss... I'm gonna take a part-time position now. I suggest you call Youssef and do the same. We're gonna need a lot more time invested in this mission..."


End file.
